The Flavorful Science Behind Beer and Coffee

If you’ve never heard of zymurgy, you aren’t alone. But if you’ve ever tasted a beer, you’ve experienced it: Zymurgy is the science of fermentation. For Tracy Hamilton, associate professor in the Department of Chemistry, zymurgy is also a passion — and the topic of lectures he presents around the country for the American Chemical Society (ACS).

Hamilton initially became interested in brewing beer after he started teaching at UAB in 1991. At the time, some of the faculty were interested in fine wine, but beer presented a more affordable alternative. “I had just started appreciating drinks with lots of flavor,” Hamilton says. “Back then, the only way to get good beer was to make it.”

Later, Hamilton’s interest in flavorful drinks expanded to coffee when a member of his brew club began roasting beans. As with beer, Hamilton studied the chemical makeup of the beverage and began giving lectures on how coffee is cultivated, roasted, and brewed.